Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) Stock Rated “Hold” by Wall Street Analysts

Shares of Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $204.94.

UHS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Leerink Partners boosted their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $198.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. Guggenheim reduced their target price on shares of Universal Health Services from $195.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Universal Health Services from $212.00 to $191.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Universal Health Services from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Health Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its position in Universal Health Services by 107.1% during the 1st quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 174 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 503.1% in the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 193 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Health Services in the fourth quarter worth $106,000. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co grew its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 14.3% in the first quarter. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co now owns 800 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $143,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS bought a new position in shares of Universal Health Services during the first quarter valued at $188,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.05% of the company’s stock.

Universal Health Services Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE UHS opened at $186.88 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.01 billion, a PE ratio of 7.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.03. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $176.78 and its 200 day moving average is $166.46. Universal Health Services has a twelve month low of $140.08 and a twelve month high of $246.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The health services provider reported $5.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.94 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $4.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 19.39% and a net margin of 8.42%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.35 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Universal Health Services will post 22.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Universal Health Services

Universal Health Services, Inc (NYSE: UHS) is a healthcare services company that owns and operates hospitals, outpatient facilities and other healthcare providers. Its operations are focused primarily on acute care and behavioral health services.

The company’s acute care operations include general and specialty hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, emergency departments, physician practices and other outpatient services. Its behavioral health business provides inpatient and outpatient treatment for mental health conditions, substance-use disorders and related needs.

Universal Health Services serves patients across the United States and Puerto Rico, with additional behavioral health operations in the United Kingdom.